While most hiring managers probably won’t care if you hand write a thank you note, they do want to know that you are the type of employee that will follow-up and complete a job properly. That’s why we do encourage a brief thank you note, emailed within 24 hours after any job interview. Here’s the general formula we would recommend:

Hi <First Name>,

While we suggest you be slightly more formal than casual in this note, there’s no need to use ‘Dear’ in your greeting. Make it simple and say hi.

Thank you for the opportunity to discuss <position title>.

The hiring manager may have had several interviews for a variety of positions in one day, so make it easy for them to remember the job position you discussed.

Sum up how your qualifications match the job opening in one or two sentences. If you thought of something you forgot to mention in the interview, it’s appropriate to mention here – as long as you’re not over-explaining or telling lengthy details. Only include it if you can do it in one additional sentence.

I was excited to hear that <something specific they told you about the job or company>.

You don’t want to sound generic, so take a sentence or two to mention a personal interest, or a detail they told you about the job that you hadn’t known before the interview. Use positive language that shows them you’re enthusiastic, glad, or happy that you are a fit.

Attached are the <requested materials> you requested.

This is the perfect time to note that you’ve attached the references, work examples, or any other materials they’ve requested.

Thank you again, and I look forward to hearing from you by <date>.

Sum up when or how you expect to hear from them, as you discussed in your conversation. Make it easy to contact you by listing your phone and email with your signature.

A handwritten note is a nice touch, but it’s not as timely, so make sure you send it in addition to an emailed one. And, if you’d love to be sending lots of thank you notes because you’re looking for a job in the trades, call Madden today! We work with employers that are looking for talented craftsmen like you.